Letter writing

We all receive mail in the post whether you're young or old however the joy of receiving mail has been eliminated by the sight of a spam and bill filled post box with no glimmer of joy save for some money saving coupons and birthday cards from distant relatives. Writing a letter to some one shows that you care about them and that you have sat down and taken the time to think about the things you would like to say to a person because they matter that much to you. In a world where technology is advancing and we crave instant gratification, traditional letter writing has become a thing of the past. Famous scientists and poets and writers used this form of mail as well as kings and queens, so we can definitely do it. We are literate and capable and the excitement and sentiment of receiving a letter from a secret admirer or a long lost friend is definitely a nostalgic, sentimental and more emotional experience. We attach important memories to these pieces of paper with words on them, they are tangible and saveable and unlike an email, something we may save for a rainy day. It is in this way that I would like to begin an initiative which encourages the writing of letters, I am yet to find a brand to jump on board.

ADDICTION

The NGO I have chosen is SANCA which raises awareness against the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse as well as helps those who suffer from addiction. This is an issue close to my heart as i have a few friends and family members who suffer from this disease. I find that there is very little sympathy towards people who suffer from addiction due to the social stigma created as well as a lack of understanding of their problem. Often a drug problem is an escape from another problem that the addict wishes to escape from. Often reality is just too much for them and drugs are the only happiness that they can create. Also addiction is something that we are all susceptible to, some are just stronger willed or more fortunate than others. Often we do not know or understand the suffering that leads to an addiction and as humans we become easily reliant on substances or actions for our own joy. In this way i would like to raise awareness of the plight of addicts and through understanding it is my hope that people will be more willing to donate and sponsor addicts.

Ambient

The next brief we were given to complete requires the creation of 2 ambient ads and two alternative contact adverts. The advice we were given was to take on one NGO and one small cause that we feel is worthy of our attention.

The difficulty here is that the spectrum of NPOs and brands are endless and the choice is a difficult one to make.

The Shock factor

This speaks of the element of shock and what shocks us as a human race. The magazine deals with popular culture which i feel is saturated with ideas such as violence, sex and war, so much so that we have become desensitised by the supposedly shocking factors of pop. So i pose the question, What is considered shocking, our behaviour or our lack of humanity in a world controlled by humans. Perhaps we are the destroyers of our own morals and human ethics leading to our ultimate destruction. But even that in itself is not shocking to the human ear.

The balance

With this concept i would like to explore the ideas of pairs. I think there is an odd intangible factor that brings out the connection or bond between certain things that just go together. For example a spoon and a fork, could we not just use Sporks? Why is there necessity in pairs and why do we seek relationships? What is the human bond that ties a boy and a girl together, is it the emotion, love or hate? or is it a mental need and bond.  I'd like to look at parallels which cannot go without each other, for example life and death or love and hate.

Magazine articles

So its time to get creative and conceptualise a cover and double page spread of an a design magazine, this being One small seed. The idea is to conceptualise ideas under the umbrella of design in order to put together creative articles under a single concept. The magazine describes itself as South Africa's Pop culture platform.

The main two concepts that have been decided upon is Balance in humanity and The shock factor.

Nokia forever

It has come to my attention that Nokia is the only cellphone brand to have a distinct and iconic ringtone that is recognised by millions around the world regardless of their race, creed, age or culture. This emanates the fact that Nokia does not discriminate and is accessible to all.  Their phones range from very expensive to very cheap but always remain at a more reasonable price than its competitors. By making their brand and handsets available to all classes and strata, they are able to reach a wider target audience and by doing so sets the brand in good context with the rest of the world.  Unlike Blackberry and iPhone who only cater for the more wealthy audience, Nokia has occupied the market niche of the majority of the world who are all feeling the effects of the recession and thus seek a good reliable, long lasting cellphones with high quality features at lower prices, Nokia provides this and that is how they are able to keep their current strong stance in the market despite the increases in popularity of the competitors. I would like to enhance the bond that people have formed with Nokia and increase the familiarity of the most loved brand so that perhaps Nokia may become a new trend. It was one of my very first phones and truth be told they really do not break easily!

Nokia, Most loved cellphone brand

http://ringaz.nokia.co.za/opinions/nokia-voted-south-africas-most-loved-cell-phone-brand-again/

Visit this blog to check out Nokia's latest award-

Nokia voted South Africa’s most loved cell-phone brand…again

Rivalry

Nokia's main competition is iPhone, Blackberry and Samsung (who are about to start their own social network).. there has already been some rivalry amongst their advertising, take a look at the link below...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1qurHPAeDA

Although it may seem that Nokia is falling to the bottom of the top, it is noted that they are still South Africa's most loved cellphone brand and this sentimental value is what may be used to their advantage

watch this videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RWhOKb6HzE

Brief 2

The next brief we've been given is to conceptualise and produce 3 radio adds in different South African languages... This is no easy feat, and completely new to us first year copywriters, however, upon doing some research i was able to choose the brand Nokia... This was under observation of my grandmother once again whose ability to use cellphones and technology is the same as an elephants skills and tight rope balancing(not the ones from the circus).  After writing a how to guide, explaining to her and yelling to her on the phone "HOLD THE SPEAKER BY YOUR MOUTH, PRESS THE GREEN BUTTON" amongst endless communication failures, i found that Nokia would be the best phone for her and for the general middle class person in society. It is apparent amongst my peers that Nokia's are so strong they could figuratively survive a nuclear explosion... Apparently the only way these phones may be put to death is through the washing machine. Also nokia was my first phone along with many others my age who are all familiar with the name "3310"... The brand brings back a nostalgia and acted as an introduction to the world of modern technology.. Currently in South Africa the trend in mobile phones amongst the youth is Blackberry and iPhones and unfortunately nokia has fallen to the bottom of the top most popular cellphone brands..

I feel that instead of trying to change this, they should embrace it and begin a campaign about how Nokia is for the people, bringing back the nostalgia of your very first cellphone. There is the idea of personifying the brand as your friend...

Little white lies..

After much deliberation i have figured out that drunk people lie to us to their parents, to their friends and even to themselves and this in action is quite hilarious. Also another fact that i was enlightened upon is that intelligent people are more likely to binge drink and get drunk faster, so cheers to einstein...
I have resolved that even though drinking may have a lot of consequences, we make up many many lies to convince ourselves that it is in fact a normal convention and allows us to escape, socialise and for  just have fun- and a good dose of fun never hurt anyone ? has it? ;)

Drunken jokes :D

I find it interesting how alcohol can bring out our most carnal desires.. Found this one on the net..

Drunken Man

A drunken man staggers into a catholic church and sits down in a confession box but says nothing.

The bewildered priest coughs to attract his attention, but still the man says nothing.

The priest then knocks on the wall three times in a final atempt to get the man to speak.

Finally the drunk replies - "No use knockin' mate - there's no paper in this one either".

What Men Mean

Haven't I seen you before? = Nice ass

I'm a Romantic = I'm poor

I need you" = My hand is tired

I am different from all the other guys = I am not circumcised

I want a commitment = I'm sick of masturbation

You're the only girl I've ever cared about = You are the only girl who hasn't rejected me

I really want to get to know you better = So I can tell my friends about it

It's just orange juice, try it = 3 more shots, and she'll have her legs around my head

he's kinda cute = I want to have sex with her till I am blue

I don't know if I like her = She won't sleep with me

I miss you so much = I am so horny that my male-roommate is starting to look good

Was it good for you? = I'm insecure about my manhood

How do I compare with all your other boyfriends? = Is my penis really that small

I had a wonderful time last night = Who the hell are you

o you love me? = I've done something stupid and you might find out

Do you 'really' love me? = I've done something stupid and you're going to find out sooner or later

How much do you love me? = I've done something really stupid and someone's on his/her way to tell you about it now

I have something to tell you = Get tested

I'll give you a call = I'd rather have my nipples torn off by wild dogs than see you again

I've been thinking a lot = You're not as attractive as when I was drunk

I think we should just be friends = You're ugly

I've learned a lot from you = Next

Stand up

After wrestling with words for hours into the night i finally realised that the inspiration had to come from my own personal stories and typical behaviour of a drunk person.. the one thing they all have in common is that they lie through their gin soaked teeth.  so that is the subject matter that i've finally decided to adopt for my stand up comedy script... Although its better to be sober, we erin anyway and thats what makes us human, our flaws...

My grandma

I've always imagined my gran as an old dignified lady who is the epitomy of mother Teresa and Jamie oliver combined. however recent developments have allowed me to view the inner child, the rebel and the spirited Anne Pottier. Recent news: Back in the day little Anne and her teeny bopper friends would collect rotten tomatos from markets and households as amo. when 5 o clock came around they would enter sniper mode and keep to the shadows of the bushes and when an unsuspecting unknown drunken stranger came meandering along, they would take aim and fire!! What a rebel! Not to mention her technique of story telling which was so animated and had us all in stitches... Who knew i'd be taking notes from my gran!?

Week 2: The weekend before the performance

Upon testing out the funny drunken stories on my grandparents and mother, I realized that I did not quite receive the funny gene. in fact it skipped my generation as both my mother and gran are hilarious. My children(if i ever decide to have them) will probably be funnier than Chris rock. My mother in the way that she has these weird quirks and imitations that are absolutely hilarious. Her infamous Afrikaner accent really sends people off their rocker. She teaches at the school i used to attend and her audience are formed by the students at the all girls catholic school. in my opinion, they need a bit of culture and the combination of a quirky teacher with a short attention span is just what they need.

Copywriting

This blog is to record the process and shenanigans that goes down in my copy class. Its easy to say that this term has started off with a loud and rather funny bang. Stand up comedy is our first brief and i can tell you one thing, its definitely not as easy as it looks. I've come to realize that although funny things happen all around me in life, it is a little bit harder to be funny on demand and even more so to entertain  my peers and cater to their different tastes.  Last week we worked on techniques and ideas for our content after which we developed prototype jokes to test out on our friends.  my joke telling skills suck! But hopefully i will get better and be hilarious by the end of the week. I think that students will be able to relate to topics such as bathroom humor and hilarious things that drunk people do at parties.